Since the early 2010s, the cow protection movement in North India has become increasingly coercive, with cow protection groups (Gau Raksha Dal) emerging across the region. These armed vigilante groups, often operating with the tacit approval of state authorities, have carried out violent campaigns that target communities presumed to consume beef—namely Muslims, Christians, and members of the lowest castes. These operations serve as an effective political tool for surveilling and controlling the everyday lives of these groups. This presentation will explore the cultural background that allows food—particularly dietary customs—to be weaponized as a tool of political repression in India, focusing on dominant stereotypes around food practices.

Chaesung Jung studied anthropology at Seoul National University and sociology at the University of Delhi, and has taught courses on Indian society and culture at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. In addition to publishing several papers on the caste system and Hinduism, their recent research focuses on the sociocultural transformations of India’s urban middle class since the 1990s.